Second round of the week: 55M at risk of winds, hail & tornadoes

Second day with severe weather affecting parts of the United States. This time the severe storms are moving early this morning, stretching from the Chicago area to northwestern Arkansas. We forecast the line of storms to continue creeping eastward through the day, carrying the risk for severe storms from Chicago through Lower Michigan and over to the Ohio River Valley through the Lower Mississippi Valley.

An enhanced risk for numerous severe storms that could produce damaging gusts, large hail, and a few tornadoes are possible. This is all part of the same large storm that affected the Midwest on Tuesday, and it has continued to slowly move northward overnight, keeping the frontal boundaries not too far from where it was Tuesday night.

The big low-pressure system will finally start moving farther and enter Canada and move to the northeast. This is when we expect the front to get moving and the severe weather risk will also move with it over to Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Severe storms will affect these states by this afternoon, likely starting by 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. local time.

The storms will continue to slowly move eastward through the afternoon carrying the risk of several threats, including the chance for tornadic storms that could develop strong tornadoes.

Make sure to stay weather aware if you are in the area at risk. Keep your devices charged and have at least 3 ways of receiving weather alerts. Know where you would go when a severe storm warning or tornado warning is issued for your location. If you live in a mobile home, these are not safe structures for when severe weather threatens. Make sure to go to a friend’s or family’s safe shelter. The Red Cross has a site where you can locate their open locations for shelter, here.

Also, there is a great resource here to find a tornado shelter available in your area at findyourtornadoshelter.com. This site is constantly updating with new shelters popping up.